Author's Notes: Dang! I think this is longest chapter I've ever posted for anything I've ever written, ever! I really hope you guys enjoy it!
I'm writing this story under the assumption that Latin American foods don't exist in Twisted Wonderland since, at the time of this writing, there haven't been any references to them except maaaaybe Cater's reference to Diablo sauce (but since we don't actually know what that is, I'm not counting it). If this changes at some point in the future…well, there won't really be anything I can do about that.
Deuce heaved a sigh as he crossed through the Heartslabyul mirror portal that led to the main campus, an overnight bag slung over his shoulder as he began walking to Ramshackle dorm. He couldn't help but wonder how he'd managed to get roped into babysitting Ace for the evening. The past 48 hours had been a non-stop whirlwind, just one crisis after another and he couldn't shake the feeling that he was on a rollercoaster he couldn't get off of. And yet, thinking back to the moment it all started, the moment Devon had called out to him to help her and Grim catch Ace, he knew he wouldn't have done anything differently. Ace and Grim knew how to get under his skin (and seemed to enjoy doing so whenever they could), but they were good people deep down. Deep, deep, deep down, but the goodness was definitely there.
Devon, though…she was a different story. She wasn't above playful teasing herself, but she at least knew when to back off. He was pleasantly surprised that she didn't treat him any differently after he told her about how he used to be. Not only that, but she'd even been willing to share something about herself that she wasn't especially proud of too and trusted him not to judge her too harshly for it. Deuce smiled to himself as he realized that he could proudly tell his mother that he'd already made some friends, good ones, at Night Raven College the next time he called home.
He was pulled from his thoughts as he walked through the gate in front of the stairway leading up the hill to Ramshackle. The blue-haired boy couldn't keep the surprised yelp from jumping out of his throat when the stone steps leading up to the building began moving on their own, flattening out to form a ramp and moving in small wave-like motions to push him up the hill toward the front door before returning to their original shape. The front door swung open on its own and Deuce was quickly ushered into the foyer. He stood frozen in place for a moment as he tried to get his bearings; he'd forgotten that the building was alive. "I…um… Thank you, Regina. I'm not gonna lie, I wasn't aware you could do that." The front door swung gently on its hinges in response, the back and forth motion looking almost like it was waving, before it shut for good. Deuce laughed and waved back before heading off to find his friends.
He found Grim and Ace in the lounge. Grim was sprawled out on one of the couches and Ace was sitting in the rocking chair as he played a game on his phone, but Devon was nowhere to be seen. Ace glanced up from his game. "Yo," the redhead greeted.
"Hey. Where's Dev?" Deuce asked.
"Makin' dinner," Ace replied simply.
"And you guys aren't helping because…?" Deuce asked.
Grim sat up. "She doesn't need our help. My henchman's pretty capable, y'know! She's not on my level, obviously, but she knows her way around a kitchen."
"Did you even offer to help?" Deuce pressed.
"We've been cooking for hours, dude," Ace whined. "I couldn't even use magic. My arms still feel like they're about to fall off! Besides, it's not like she asked for help or anything."
"Whether she asked or not isn't the point," Deuce shot back. "You should've at least offered, especially since she wasn't expecting to have to feed you tonight. She helped bake your apology tart without magic and she gave you a place to sleep for the second night in a row; you could at least try not to be such a burden to her." With that, he set his bag down on the unoccupied couch and looked up toward the ceiling. "Umm…Regina? Or any other Wisps that can hear me? I'd like to help Devon out but I'm not sure where to go. If one of you could point me in the right direction, I'd be-" He let out another yelp as the floorboards started moving him through the lounge and into the hallway. "Oh! Okay, I guess this works too."
Ace frowned after his friend as he was pulled out of the lounge. The redhead flopped back into the rocking chair and crossed his arms. "I'm not being a burden," he grumbled to no one in particular, not noticing that the chair was beginning to glow with a golden light. "Besides, it's not like I forced her to-whoa!" He shouted as the chair lurched forward suddenly, sending him tumbling to the floor. He whipped his head around and just barely caught sight of the golden light receding from the chair.
"Nyahaha! Man, you look so stupid right now!" Grim taunted, cackling.
"Shuddup," Ace huffed, rubbing his head.
Deuce stumbled into the kitchen and the floorboards finally came to a stop. "Whoa!" He smiled at Devon as she looked up from prepping some ground beef. "I think that's gonna take some getting used to."
"Hey, man," Devon greeted with a smile. Zephyr was nowhere in sight, having gone into seclusion to take some time to recharge their magic. "What brings you to my humble cocina?" She couldn't help but giggle at the confused look on Deuce's face. "Kitchen, my dude. What brings you to the kitchen?"
"Oh, right," Deuce replied, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "Well, I figured you might need some help since you've gotta feed me and Ace tonight too. I can't really cook anything complicated but I've helped my mom in the kitchen a few times, so I don't think I'm completely useless. I'd also like to apologize on behalf of my useless roommate. I figured he'd at least have the decency to offer to help out."
"It's cool. I'm planning on sticking Ace and Grim on dishwashing duty," Devon replied with a smirk. "That's the rule in my house: anybody who doesn't help make dinner has to help with cleanup."
"I like the way you think," Deuce said with a devious smirk of his own.
"I'll gladly take you up on your offer to help, though," Devon added gratefully. "I figured I'd make some soft tacos tonight. It's Tuesday, after all, and Taco Tuesday's a thing back in my world. Besides, they're pretty simple to make and good for when you need to feed multiple people. And if we set out all the toppings separately, we can all just put whatever we want on them."
"I've never heard of tacos before, but you're makin' 'em sound pretty amazing!" Deuce said eagerly. "Just tell me what to do and I'll help you as best I can."
"Would you care to break the ground beef up and then put it in that pan on the stove?" Devon requested. "The meat's already been seasoned so you don't have to worry about that. While you're doing that, I'll gather up the stuff I'm gonna need to make some salsa."
Deuce smiled and saluted her. "I'm on it, boss!" As he walked over to the ground beef, he noticed a small bowl with what appeared to be some sort of spice mix in it. "Is the stuff in this bowl what you used to season the beef?"
Devon nodded. "Sure is."
Deuce picked up the bowl and inhaled. He blinked as a pleasant aroma filled his nostrils. "This smells amazing! What is it?"
Devon shrugged as she chopped some tomatoes. "Just your basic taco seasoning: chili powder, cumin, oregano, sea salt and black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, and some red chili flakes. You can buy blends like this prepackaged back home but Papa prefers to make his own. I'm just glad I remembered everything."
"Does your family make all your food from scratch?" Deuce asked as he set to work breaking the beef up with a spatula.
"Not everything, but sometimes making something from scratch is cheaper than buying it," Devon told him as she put the salsa ingredients into an old food processor. "Eating and cooking together are really important aspects of both my family life and my family's culture, so we try to make all the traditional food we eat by hand. Given how hectic our schedules are, we can't always eat together at every meal or make everything from scratch but if we know the whole family, or even just most of it, is gonna be together, that's what we're doing."
"That sounds…really nice, actually," Deuce mused, putting the beef on the stove. "I've always been happy being an only child but you're kinda making me want siblings."
Devon laughed. "I really lucked out with my brothers and I love them more than anything, don't get me wrong, but we do get on each other's nerves sometimes. Honestly, sometimes listening to you and Ace argue reminds me of DJ and Dom getting into arguments." She paused to run the food processor and blend the salsa ingredients together. "Speaking of, I did not know you guys were roommates. What are the odds?"
"I know, right?" Deuce replied, shaking his head. "It's like I can't escape him. All the Heartslabyul freshmen live in four-person rooms; I guess it was just my luck that he was one of the other three in my room."
Devon let out a low whistle. "I couldn't imagine sharing a room with one person, let alone three. My brothers and I shared a room when we were younger since our place was on the small side but as soon as we moved to a bigger house, I didn't waste any time claiming the attic for myself."
"It's definitely gonna take some getting used to," Deuce agreed, moving the beef around with the spatula to make sure it cooked evenly.
"Well if you ever need to get away from it, you can always come here," Devon assured him. "It probably isn't as fancy as the Heartslabyul dorms but there's plenty of space, at least." She poured the salsa out of the food processor and into a small chipped bowl, then walked over to check on the beef. "Lookin' good. It should be done in a few more minutes." She set to work pulling down some plates from a nearby cupboard. "I really appreciate you helping out, by the way."
"Heh, it's no big deal," Deuce said, rubbing the back of his head bashfully. He glanced at the stack of plates Devon had just set on the countertop. Much like the bowl she'd poured the salsa into, all of the plates were chipped in various places. "I'm, ah, I'm guessing those came with the dorm?"
"Yeah," Devon replied, poking at the stack of plates. "Not super pretty, I know, but beggars can't be choosers. Frankly, I'm just happy to have plates, silverware, and cups at all. Crowley gives me some money every week in exchange for Grim and me doing various jobs for him, though, so once I've saved up enough I plan on buying some kitchenware that doesn't make me sad to look at."
"Have you thought about talking to that Sam guy we met today?" Deuce asked. "Maybe he could use some help at the store. You'd be able to stow more money away that way."
"Hmm. That's not a bad idea," Devon agreed. "Once we get this mess with Riddle sorted out, I'll-ow!" She winced as a sharp pain in her head made her freeze, her hand reflexively flying up to cover the spot.
"You okay? What happened?" Deuce asked as he took a concerned step towards her.
"I'm not sure," Devon said. "Ever since we got back to Ramshackle, I've been getting these stabbing pains in my head."
"Do you think it's a migraine or something?" Deuce probed.
Devon shook her head. "I don't think so. I've never had a migraine before, but from what I understand the pain is pretty consistent. These pains I'm getting only last for a few seconds and then disappear." She slowly removed her hand from her head. "Yeah, see? It's gone now, like it never happened. Any idea what causes that?"
"You're askin' the wrong guy," Deuce replied. "If it keeps happening, you might wanna take some medicine for it, though. Do you have any painkillers here? I can run to the school store and get some if you don't. I think it's still open."
"I'll be fine, dude," Devon said, giving him a reassuring smile. "I've got some medicine in my bag upstairs. I wasn't sure if it would help since the pain isn't consistent but I promise I'll take some if it keeps happening." She pulled something out of the fridge and set it down next to the plates. "Right now, I'd rather focus on getting dinner finished. The beef should be about done by now so go ahead and turn the stove off."
Deuce nodded and did as he was told. He walked over where Devon was getting all the toppings set out, his blue eyes fixed on the salsa she'd made. "I've been meaning to tell you, but this…ah…," He gestured toward the salsa, unsure of what it was called. "What did you say this was again?"
"Salsa," Devon supplied.
"This salsa looks really good too," Deuce complimented. "I saw some of what you were putting in it. Is it gonna be spicy? I mean, I'll be happy either way but I'm a big fan of spicy foods."
"Not really," Devon replied. "It's got a little heat to it, but I made this one mild since I wasn't sure what everyone's preferences were. I personally like mine with more kick to it but I know not everyone can handle spicy foods." She shot him a challenging smirk. "I'd be happy to whip up the spiciest salsa I can the next time we do this, though. We'll see how well you handle it."
Deuce smirked back. "You're on." He looked around at all the little extras she'd set out for the tacos: aside from the salsa, there was also lettuce, tomatoes, onions, shredded cheese, and sour cream. "So how does all this come together?"
"I am so glad you asked, my friend!" Devon chirped. She held up one of the things she'd taken out of the fridge. "We're going to use these," She looked at the label on the bag. "'soft flatbreads' as the soft taco shells. Back home, we'd normally call these things 'tortillas' but since those apparently don't exist here and I didn't have time to make any myself, we're makin' do with these. They look exactly the same, so we should be fine." She grabbed a plate and began loading up her tortilla with some of the beef and plenty of toppings. "And you helped me make all this, friend-o, I'm gonna show you the biggest advantage soft tacos have over hard-shell tacos." She folded her tortilla in half. "Hard-shell tacos are shaped like this. They're just as delicious as soft tacos and the crunchiness of the shell is beyond satisfying but they have one major flaw: the moment you bite into that shell, everything in it starts to spill out. The more loaded up the taco is, the bigger the mess it makes." She winced again as another sharp pain jolted through her head, but quickly shook it off before Deuce could notice. "Soft tacos don't necessarily have that problem. Since tortillas aren't stiff like hard taco shells, you can fold them up at the bottom to help you keep all the good stuff in."
Deuce watched Devon's movements carefully, mimicking them to the best of his ability once he'd made his own taco. "Question: what's the best way to fold the taco if I just want to make a mess of the plate?" He smirked when Devon sent him a quizzical look. "Ace and Grim are on cleanup duty, right? I say we should make sure they're earnin' their keep."
"You really aren't letting that go, huh?" Devon remarked with a laugh. "Speaking of Ace and Grim, though, I should probably let them know dinner's ready." She walked toward the kitchen doorway, only to pause mid-step and look up toward the ceiling.
"Everything okay?" Deuce asked.
"Regina just told me not to worry about getting Ace and Grim," Devon reported. "Wonder what they-"
Before she could finish her sentence, a series of thuds and yelps sounded from the lounge, followed by the sound of the floorboards moving. Ace and Grim were tossed into the kitchen a few seconds later.
"What is the meaning of this?!" Grim sputtered as he slid along the floor. "If you think I'll allow you to treat me like-" He was cut off by one of the cupboards near ground-level opening on its own and smacking him in the face to keep him from sliding further.
"Seriously, what gives?!" Ace complained as he stood up and dusted himself off. "First I get tossed out of the chair I was sitting in and now this?" He glared up at the ceiling before turning to Devon. "You really need to teach your dorm about proper hospitality, New York."
"Or maybe you need to learn how to be a better guest," Deuce fired back.
"Alright, alright," Devon called out, holding up her hands. "No arguin' around the food." She smirked at Grim and Ace. "Hope you two enjoy it because you're the ones who'll be cleaning up tonight~!"
"What?! Why us?!" Grim shouted.
"Yeah, how is that fair?!" Ace whined.
"Oh, I dunno, maybe because Deuce and I actually cooked the meal while you two parked your asses in the lounge and did nothing," Devon remarked dryly. "Sounds like a fair trade to me."
"Wait, wait, hang on. Deuce actually helped?!" Ace asked incredulously.
"And the building's still standing?!" Grim added.
"Make all the jokes you want, but he was an awesome sous-chef," Devon defended, reaching up and wrapping an arm around Deuce's shoulders. "Ten outta ten, would cook with again."
Ace opened his mouth to complain again, only to shut it abruptly when a familiar golden light surrounded the wooden block that held the kitchen knives. All the knives flew out of their slots in the block and whipped around to point themselves at him and Grim. The pair froze instantly, Grim with his paws in the air. "On second thought, cleanup duty sounds great," Ace backpedaled quickly. "Don't you think, Grim?"
"Mmmhmm," Grim whimpered, as if he didn't trust himself to speak.
Upon sensing there would be no further resistance, the knives floated gently back to their proper place, the golden light receding as they did so. Ace and Grim heaved simultaneous sighs of relief once the light had vanished.
"Okay, now that that's settled," Devon nodded toward the food. "fix up a plate and eat. Tacos aren't as good cold."
The tacos were a big hit. Grim had gone back for fourths already and Ace and Deuce were both working on their third ones. It didn't look like leftovers were going to be an issue, which was good because Devon didn't have anything to put them in and she didn't want to throw out perfectly good food.
She winced yet again as the quartet finished up their meal. The pains in her head were becoming more frequent, with only a few minutes between them now.
"Seriously, Dev, I really think you oughta take some medicine now," Deuce suggested, his brow creased in concern.
"Yeah, it's hard to focus on how amazing your food is when you keep twitching like that," Ace snarked, but Devon could see the worry in his eyes too.
"Fine, fine, you guys are right," Devon conceded, setting her plate down on the coffee table in the lounge. "I'll head upstairs and-" She was cut off by another pain, this one far more intense than any of the others had been. She grabbed the sides of her head, gritting her teeth to keep from crying out, and began to curl in on herself. She could vaguely register her friends' voices as they called out worriedly, but she couldn't make out what they were saying. She squeezed her eyes shut as her vision started to get blurry, her hands shaking as they gripped her head.
The pain only lasted about ten seconds, but it felt as though hours had gone by before it began to subside. Slowly, Devon's vision came back into focus as the pain in her head dwindled until it was gone completely. She waited until her hands stopped shaking before moving them from her head to her lap. She took a deep breath before raising her head to meet her friends' worried stares. "Damn… That was the worst one yet." She looked at Deuce. "Aight, so I'mma go take some-" She paused again. She could hear a voice coming from somewhere in the building, as if somebody was carrying on a conversation in another room. "Do you guys hear that?"
The remaining trio shared a confused look before quieting down and listening. "Hear what?" Ace asked.
"You can't hear that voice?" Devon asked, her expression dazed.
"A voice?" Deuce asked, immediately on alert as he looked around the room. "Do you think there's someone else here?"
Devon shook her head. "I'm not sure. Regina would've let me know if there was anyone here who shouldn't be."
"Maybe this is another one of those ghosts' pranks," Grim suggested.
Devon shook her head again. "I don't think so." She paused to listen. The voice was still speaking in the distance. She couldn't make out what it was saying but something about it was familiar to her. It was feminine and regal-sounding, a voice that commanded respect without trying. "I'm positive I've heard it before, though."
Ace and Deuce exchanged a look. "I think you should go and lie down for a bit, Dev," Deuce urged gently. "I'll bring your plate to the kitchen and Ace and Grim can get started cleaning up." He sent her a reassuring smile. "Regina and I will supervise to make sure they actually do it."
Devon couldn't help but chuckle at that. "Alright, alright, I'm goin'."
Grim stared after Devon as the girl stood and headed toward the stairs. He waited for a moment before hopping down from his seat and following her.
"Where do you think you're going?" Ace asked. "You better not be plannin' to duck out and stick me with all the cleanin'."
Grim rolled his eyes. "Psh, as if I want that giant Wisp to get pissed at me again." He looked back toward the stairs again. "I just remembered that I left my stash of tuna cans up in mine and Dev's room and I wanted to grab an after-dinner snack."
"But New York took the tuna cans she bought you earlier and put them in the fridge," Ace pointed out.
"I didn't mean from that stash, I meant my other stash," Grim growled impatiently. "Look, just give me a sec, okay? I'll be back in a minute." Without waiting for a response, he scampered toward the stairs, following the path Devon had taken.
"I hope he doesn't think he can weasel his way out of cleanup," Ace grumbled, crossing his arms.
"Leave him be," Deuce replied, tapping his chin in thought. "He's just worried about Devon." He narrowed his eyes at the redhead and jerked a thumb in the direction of the kitchen. "Now get to dishwashin', ya bum!"
"Hello? Is someone here?" Devon called out as she slowly made her way toward her bedroom. The voice was getting louder the closer she got to her room, but she still couldn't make out what it was saying. Regina had confirmed that nobody else was in the dorm besides Devon and her friends but the voice was clear as day. She jerked to a stop when recognition washed over her. 'I do know that voice. That's Mala, no mistaking it. But how am I able to hear her even though she's not here?' As she listened, she noticed that the rhythm and cadence of Mala's voice would repeat after a while, as if it were a recording repeating the same thing over and over. She was so caught up in trying to figure out what the voice was saying that she didn't hear Grim calling out to her.
"Devon!" Grim finally shouted, reaching out to tap Devon's leg.
Devon squawked in surprise and jumped, whipping around to look at her monster friend. "What the heck, Grim?!"
"Don't give me that, henchman! It's your own fault for not answering me!" Grim protested.
Devon sighed and shook her head. "I'm sorry, Grim. This voice I keep hearing is more than a little distracting."
"Hmph, I'll forgive you this time since you're clearly out of it," Grim replied as he nuzzled his head against her leg. "I was just wondering what was up with that bracelet you're always wearin'. I don't think it was shinin' like that earlier today."
"My bracelet?" Devon held up her wrist to get a better look. Sure enough, the iridescent stone in the center was shimmering brightly. The upstairs hallway was much too dark for it to be a trick of the light and Devon had no clue what else might be causing it. Almost as soon as she'd had a chance to get a good look, she felt a tugging sensation on her wrist, almost as if the bracelet was trying to pull her somewhere. "What the heck?!" she exclaimed. With little other choice, she began walking in the direction the bracelet was pulling her.
"What's going on, Devon?!" Grim asked apprehensively as he followed her.
"I don't know," Devon admitted. "Hopefully I'm being led to whatever's causing me to hear this voice."
The bracelet pulled her into her bedroom, Grim following along just behind. Mala's voice became much louder as soon as they crossed the threshold; it almost sounded as if she was standing right beside them despite the room being empty. The working light fixtures turned themselves on, courtesy of Regina, and Devon was pulled toward the mirror hanging above the fireplace. A white light began to emanate from the mirror and, even though her instincts screamed otherwise, Devon was helpless to do more than walk toward it. The pain in her head stopped as soon as she stepped in front of it, but the seemingly infinite loop of Mala's voice could still be heard. She wasn't able to see her reflection in the mirror, though; instead it looked as though a cloud of fog was rolling about on the other side. Mala's voice could still be heard repeating whatever it was she'd been saying…but this time the final sentence could be heard loud and clear before the voice disappeared altogether.
"And a bond unbreakable, to surmount any and all challenges."
As soon as that final sentence was uttered, the fog parted to reveal another bedroom on the other side of the mirror. Devon recognized it immediately, her eyes widening and her breath catching in her throat as she took in the bed on the raised platform, the computer desk with the laptop and digital drawing tablet sitting on it, the framed tour posters all over the walls. She was looking through the mirror attached to her dresser. That was her bedroom. That was her house. That was…
"What is it, Dev?" Grim asked as he hopped onto her shoulder to get a better look. He tilted his head in confusion. "What are we even looking at here? What is this place?"
"Home," Devon choked out as her eyes began to water. She reached out to touch the mirror, pushing just slightly to see if she could pass through it; a mirror brought her here, after all, so it stood to reason that she would leave through one as well. The glass held firm, however, and Devon smiled ruefully. "Yeah, I should've figured that'd be too easy."
Grim studied Devon carefully, not wanting to upset her further. "Maybe you should knock on it," he suggested. "Someone might be able to hear you."
"Right, yes, that. I-I'll do that," Devon stammered, shaking out her shoulders and wiping her eyes. She gently rapped her knuckles on the glass, calling out into the empty room. "Hello? Anybody home? …Mala? Are you there?"
DJ heaved a sigh as he tossed his backpack to the ground and flopped onto his bed. The first day back to school had been…rough, to say the least. He knew he was going to get bombarded with questions as soon as people figured out Devon wasn't at school; the two of them ran in similar circles since they were both involved with sports. He felt guilty about lying to so many people, especially after all the well-wishes he was asked to pass on to his sister. These people were genuinely concerned for Devon but there was nothing he could tell them truthfully that wouldn't cause them to panic. So he did what he always did: play the clown. Reassure them with a smile, distract them with a joke or funny remark or some kind of stunt, and never let them see any negativity from him.
Don't get him wrong, though; the joviality and love of (borderline illegal) stunts were absolutely genuine but…it got frustrating sometimes to feel like he couldn't be true to his own emotions. His friends, his teammates, and his classmates relied on him to be the morale booster when it was needed and that was fine with him. But…who was going to be there to boost his morale now?
'Where are you, Dev?' he mused, pushing his magenta hair out of his face. 'Are you even okay? I don't understand how you could just disappear without a trace like that.'
DJ was jolted from his thoughts by a white-hot pain in his head. He yelped and grabbed his head with both hands. He could hear a loud thud coming from Dominic's room and slowly heaved himself to his feet to walk out the door of his own. "Dom? You good?"
The lavender-haired triplet staggered into the hallway, clutching his head as well, pain visible in his hazel eyes. "Does it feel like someone's stabbing you in the head repeatedly too?"
"Got it in one," DJ confirmed. He blinked when he noticed something…different about his brother's bracelet. Namely, that he could see it glowing through the sleeve of Dominic's hoodie. "Hey dude, is it just me or is your bracelet trying to turn itself into a homing beacon?"
Dominic blinked in confusion, pulling his sleeve back to get a better look. "I…What in the actual hell?!" His eyes widened when he glanced at DJ's wrist. "Dude! Yours is glowing too!"
As soon as Dominic uttered those words, both brothers felt a tugging sensation on their wrists. The pain in their heads left them unable to put up much of a fight, so they were dragged along helplessly until they reached the short stairway leading up to Devon's room in the attic.
"Why were we pulled here?" DJ asked.
"Your guess is as good as mine," Dominic replied. The tugging sensation intensified. "Looks like whoever or whatever possessed our bracelets really wants us to go up there, though."
"Should we, though?" DJ wondered. "Doesn't it feel kinda…I dunno, disrespectful?"
Before Dominic could reply, the brothers heard the sound of something knocking on glass. The voice that followed, though, caused their hearts to stop for a split second.
"Hello?" it called. "Anybody home?"
The boys exchanged a glance before charging up the stairs and through the door, all previous pain forgotten.
Devon and Grim heard what sounded like a stampede of elephants coming from the other side of the mirror. They couldn't see it from where the mirror was situated, but they heard a door being thrown open and two figures with expressions that could only be described as a mix of anxious and hopeful appeared in their line of vision.
Nobody spoke for a while, but Grim could see the tears forming at the edges of Devon's eyes. He studied the faces of the two…well, he assumed they were boys. It was still difficult for him to tell the difference between male and female humans by sight alone; he usually had his sense of smell to help him out but even then there were some humans who smelled like both or neither, so he really couldn't be sure. The pair through the mirror looked eerily similar to his henchman, so he could only assume they were the brothers she was always talking about.
Finally, the pink-haired boy spoke up. "…Dev?" He reached out toward the mirror but seemed hesitant to actually touch it. "Is that… Is it really you?"
Devon sent him a shaky smile and nodded, her tears threatening to fall as she held up her wrist to show them her still-glowing bracelet. "Hey, guys." She heaved a sigh. "Damn, it's good to see you both."
She reached out and placed both her hands on the mirror. DJ and Dominic looked at one another before following suit, both of them placing one of their hands over one of Devon's. The triplets stayed like that for a few seconds before dropping their hands back down. This seemed to snap the brothers out of their shock because they immediately began bombarding their sister with questions. "Where have you been? Are you okay?" "How are you inside a mirror?" "What happened? Why'd you just…vanish on us like that?" "What is that cat thing on your shoulder? And…what are you wearing? Is that some kind of school uniform?"
"Whoa, whoa, slow down!" Devon interjected, holding her hands up. She was grateful for the distraction from her feelings, though; at least now she didn't feel like she was about to turn into a hot mess and start ugly crying. "One thing at a time, guys. I promise I'll answer all your questions as best I can, but there's still a lot about this whole situation that I'm in the dark about too."
"Hang on a sec, sis," Dominic said as he pulled out his phone. "Not that I'm not eager to know what the heck is happening right now but there's something I need to do real quick." He pointed the phone's camera at Devon and Grim. "Smile, y'all!" Devon and Grim shared a confused look but still did as he asked. Dominic snapped a quick picture before putting his phone back in his pocket. He glanced at DJ, only to see his brother giving him a 'dude, what the hell?!' look. "Don't look at me like that. We don't know how long…," He gestured toward the mirror. "whatever caused this is going to last. We're having a family meeting tonight to discuss what to do about Devon's situation, remember? If we're gonna bring this up, and obviously we are, we need proof."
"He's got a point, DJ," Devon added. "I wouldn't believe anything about this situation if I wasn't living it right now."
DJ sighed. "Fine, fair enough."
"I'm guessing Mama and Papa aren't home right now, though?" Devon asked.
Dominic shook his head. "They're both still at work." He looked over at the clock on Devon's desk. "Valentina and Monique are going to be coming over, though. Actually, they should be here any-"
"DJ? Dom? You guys home?" came Valentina's voice from the second floor. Devon's attic bedroom was too far away from the front door for anyone to have heard her come in. They were thankful their parents had given their cousin and cousin-to-be a spare key. It seemed their matching bracelets were the key to keeping the link between worlds open and nobody wanted to risk severing it by stepping away.
"We're in Dev's room, Val!" DJ called back. "Get Monique and come up here! You're not gonna believe this!" DJ turned back to the mirror and smiled mischievously at his sister. "She's gonna flip out."
The sound of two pairs of feet climbing the stairs leading to Devon's room could be heard. "You'd better not be snooping around through Devon's stuff up here, DJ," Valentina warned as she and her fiancée stepped into the room, her voice getting closer as she walked toward the dresser. "You know she's gonna-" She froze as she caught sight of her cousin in the mirror, the words dying in her throat.
"What is it, hon?" Monique asked. Her brown eyes widened once she caught sight of Devon and Grim as well. "What…What is this? If this is some kinda joke, it's not-"
"It's not a joke," Devon assured them. "It's really me, guys."
Devon's voice snapped Valentina out of her stupor and she found her voice again. "You're really here… Are you okay?"
Devon shrugged. "Physically? More or less. Mentally and emotionally? I'll get back to you."
Monique snorted. "Yep, that's definitely her."
"I don't understand. What's going on? How are you in the mirror? Do you have any idea how worried everyone's been?" Valentina rattled off, the 'anger borne of worry' trope in full effect as she continued. "Why haven't you been responding to anyone's calls or texts?" She glanced at the triplets bracelets. "Why are your bracelets glowing?" She paused before rounding on DJ and Dominic, her voice desperate. "And why aren't you two doing anything to get her out?!"
The brothers exchanged looks with each other and with Monique, who just shrugged. "What exactly do you want us to do, Val?" Dominic asked.
"I don't know. Something. Anything," she replied. She looked frantically around the room before walking over to Devon's bedroom door and pulling a crowbar out from behind it. She stepped back up in front of the mirror, rolling her shoulder a few times.
"Umm…Val? What are you gonna do with that?" DJ asked, eyeing the crowbar nervously.
"Saving my cousin. What does it look like?" Valentina replied. "You guys might wanna stand back." She pulled the crowbar back, preparing to swing it at the mirror. "Just hang tight, Dev. I'll get you out."
An immediate cacophony rose up from Monique and the triplets as they tried to keep Valentina from breaking the mirror. "Val, wait a second!" "You can't!" "That's not gonna bring her back here!"
"I know you're worried, but please think about this for a second, hon," Monique urged gently, taking Valentina's arm and attempting to get her to lower the crowbar. "Breaking the mirror isn't guaranteed to bring Devon back. If you break that mirror, we might not be able to speak to her again at all." She began to carefully pry Valentina's finger from the crowbar. "I know you missed her. We all do, but we can't act rashly." She gently cupped her fiancee's face with one hand. "Now take some deep breaths for me and then hand me the crowbar."
Valentina hesitated for a moment but ultimately did as Monique instructed, stepping back to sit on the arm of Devon's couch. "You're right, I know you're right." She took another deep breath. "I'm sorry. This is just so strange."
"Agreed," Dominic said. "Devon was just about to tell us what's been going on when you two got here." He turned toward his sister. "So once more from the top, sis. Tell us everything." He glanced over at Grim, who had been oddly quiet through the entire exchange. "Starting with what that cat is all about."
"I ain't no cat!" Grim protested, to the very visible shock of everyone on the other side of the mirror. "I'm the Great Grim, future archsage in training!"
"It can talk?!" DJ and Dominic exclaimed.
"He. He can talk," Devon corrected, gently mussing Grim's fur. "This is Grim. He was literally the first face I saw when I arrived here. We didn't really start off on the best foot, but now I don't know what I'd do without him." She smiled as Grim purred at the attention.
"And where is "here", exactly?" Valentina asked.
"Oh snap, where do I even begin?" Devon mused. "There's still a lot I don't know about how or why this happened, but I've been taken to a place called Twisted Wonderland. Right now I'm staying at a school called Night Raven College. Apparently it's a really prestigious magic school but…I mean, it's not like I have anything to compare it to."
"Well it's certainly not a school I've ever heard of. Never heard of Twisted Wonderland either, for that matter," Valentina commented. Her eyes widened slightly as the rest of Devon's sentence sunk in. "Hang on, did you just say "magic"?"
Devon nodded. "Mmhmm. The reason you haven't heard of Night Raven is because Twisted Wonderland is…" She paused, trying to think of how best to break this to them. "...it's another world entirely. Magic is absolutely a thing here."
DJ let out an impressed whistle before thumping Dominic on the back. "Looks like you were right on the money, bro!"
Devon tilted her head in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"I…kinda sorta had a feeling that you weren't in our world anymore," Dominic admitted. "When you disappeared, we all went nuts trying to find you but…," He paused, trying to get his thoughts together. "It's hard to explain but it was like I knew we wouldn't find you. I wasn't worried about you being in danger or anything, though." He let out a long breath. "Even so, I don't think I ever could've predicted this."
"So…you guys believe me about this place being magic?" Devon asked. "Not gonna lie, I thought that would take more convincing."
"Girl, you're talkin' to us through a mirror and you've got a talkin'," Monique gestured at Grim. "whatever he is chillin' on your shoulder. I don't think it gets much more convincing than that."
"I'm just sayin', I was about to have Grim breathe some fire for ya," Devon said.
"Psh, as if I need any prompting to show off my skills, henchman!" Grim boasted. "Watch and be amazed, humans!" He blew out a light stream of blue fire. Devon was grateful that he was at least attempting to rein in the destruction this time.
"He breathes fire too?!" DJ exclaimed. "Where do I get me one of those?"
"Nyahaha!" Grim laughed, his chest puffing up with pride. "The Great Grim's one-of-a-kind! Even if magic did exist in your world, you'd still have a hard time finding a monster of my caliber!"
"Yeah, yeah, that's great," Valentina said dismissively before turning her gaze back toward Devon. "What I wanna know is how you ended up in a completely different world, Dev?"
Devon nodded. "Fair enough. Like I said before, there's still a lot I don't know about the specifics but apparently I was summoned here by the school's magic mirror. The headmaster says that the Dark Mirror only calls souls with "a unique aptitude for magic" to be students here but…it also chose me for some reason. All the students summoned here are brought in by these weird carriages with coffins in the back and we're apparently kept unconscious inside the coffins until we arrive."
"That sounds…morbid," Monique commented.
"Tell me about it," Devon agreed. "The last thing I remember before I woke up here was one of those things comin' after me. I was scared outta my mind and everything went blank. Next thing I knew," She pointed at Grim. "this guy was blasting the lid off the coffin I was in and demanding that I hand over my ceremonial robes." She opted to leave out the part about Grim threatening her; she didn't think they'd react well to her living with a creature that tried to kill her.
"Hang on," DJ interjected. "That school gives you a set of ceremonial robes?!"
Devon laughed. "They do! They look really awesome too! I'd show 'em to you but I don't really wanna move too far and risk severing whatever's connecting us right now-AY!" She felt a familiar zap from behind her and when she glanced down at herself, she saw her school uniform had been swapped out for her ceremonial robes. "Nevermind, I guess I'm showin' 'em to you, after all." She turned to look behind her and saw Zephyr floating there, pulsing with amusement. "Hey, Zeph. I didn't notice you come in."
"Dang, sis!" DJ exclaimed. "Look how swank those robes are! Here, put the hood up real quick!" He waited until she did what he'd asked before pulling out his phone and snapping a picture. He felt Dominic's disapproving stare on him and turned to look at his brother. "What? Oh, so you can take a picture of her but I can't?"
"Mine was so we'd have something to show the rest of the family when we tell them about this," Dominic pointed out.
"Okay, let's get back on track here," Valentina called. "Those robes really do look great, Devon, but I need to know what happened next." She looked uncertainly at Zephyr. "I'm hoping you'll explain what that little orb thing is."
Devon nodded, going on to recount the headmaster's explanation and introduction to the school, the events of the entrance ceremony, and the fact that the Dark Mirror couldn't send her back to her world. As she expected, her family made for a pretty great audience. DJ was loving the chaos Grim caused at the ceremony (though he wasn't exactly thrilled at the thought of his sister being stuck at an all-boy school), Monique seemed amused as well, Dominic seemed more interested in what exactly the 'essence of one's being' meant, and Valentina was about to throw hands with the Dark Mirror for implying that Devon's soul was "empty".
"So the mirror isn't able to send you back at all even though it was what brought you there?" Monique asked.
"Hmph, so it's blind and useless, then," Valentina sniffed, crossing her arms.
Devon giggled. "Don't let Crowley hear you say that, Val. But yeah, it couldn't send me back. Crowley had never even heard of New York or America either, so we went to the library to do some research. That's when we realized that I'm from a different world entirely. I realized I still had my phone on me, but it got really banged up somehow and won't even turn on now."
"Even if it did, I doubt you'd have been able to reach us," Dominic reasoned.
"My thoughts exactly," Devon agreed. "Crowley was "gracious" enough not to throw me out with nowhere to go, at least, and he offered to let me stay in this place in all its abandoned, dilapidated glory." She and Grim went on to tell them how she'd met Zephyr and the rest of the Wisps, Regina enchanting the dorm (Regina chose that moment to give a demonstration by moving the floorboards underneath Devon and Grim, causing them to move back and forth on their own, much to the shock (and utter delight for DJ and Monique) of Devon's family), Grim sneaking back in and reluctantly teaming up to deal with the ghosts, and Crowley letting them stay at Ramshackle in exchange for working as the school's janitors.
"But you've got a school uniform now," Valentina pointed out. "What made him decide to make you a student?"
"Now that was a party and a half," Devon said.
"I really got to show off what I can do!" Grim added.
Devon carefully explained how they met Ace and Deuce (leaving out the bit about just who the Great Seven were; she didn't want to discuss that with Grim nearby), the series of shenanigans leading to their trip to Dwarf's Mine, and the trip itself…including the fight with the monster. Grim added his own commentary here and there, making sure to go into detail about how he totally led the charge and wasn't afraid at all. Valentina was less than thrilled that the headmaster would sent his own students on such a dangerous mission, but Devon assured her that he didn't seem to be aware of anything dangerous living in the mine, given how surprised he was when they told him about it.
When they'd finally finished, Dominic blew out a breath and rubbed the back of his head. "Wow… That's a lot to take in."
"It's been an interested few days, that's for sure," Devon agreed.
"It's nice to know that you've made some friends, at least," Monique said optimistically. "Ace and Deuce sound like a couple of cards, honestly."
"You have no idea," Devon replied. She blinked before snapping her fingers when a thought stuck her. "They're actually here right now, ya know. You guys can meet them if you want."
"Yes, please," DJ readily agreed. "I wanna know what kind of people go to school at that…Bird Raven Caw-Caw or whatever it's called."
Devon snorted with laughter. "Fine, we'll bring them up here." Seeing an opportunity, she looked over at Grim. "Would you care to grab them for me, bud?"
"Whaaat? Why do I gotta do it?" Grim complained. "Can't Regina just-" He was cut off by the floorboards jolting suddenly, causing Devon to stumble and Grim to lose his balance on her shoulder. He fell to the floor, where the floorboards proceeded to roll him out of the room.
Devon could hear Grim complaining even as his voice got further and further away. "Well, I guess that's one way to keep him busy." She looked up at the ceiling. "Would you mind shutting the bedroom door too, Regina? It doesn't have to be shut all the way, leaving it cracked is fine." The bedroom door closed on its own, leaving just a tiny crack. "Okay. Now that Grim's distracted, there's something else I need to tell you guys. You remember those Great Seven statues we told you about?"
Everyone nodded.
"Every single one of them is a villain in a Disney movie," Devon continued. "The one that got burnt was the Queen of Hearts, but there's also Scar, Hades, Ursula, Jafar, Queen Grimhilde ("Who?" "The queen from Snow White."), and Maleficent. They aren't fictional characters here; they're actual historical figures."
"And seriously respected ones, it sounds like," Dominic said. "Given that you sent Grim away, I'm guessing you haven't mentioned this to anyone else."
"Yeah, I had a feeling it wouldn't go over very well," Devon replied.
"I think that's smart," Valentina agreed. "It's probably better to keep the Disney stuff on the DL until you get a better handle on this world."
"It's not even just the historical figures, either," Devon said. "I've noticed that some of the teachers here have certain…similarities, we'll say, to some Disney characters too."
"Please tell me you've got a Gaston there somewhere," DJ said, leaning forward eagerly.
Devon nodded. "P.E. actually." She giggled at the memory. "I actually sang the Gaston song from the movie before I left his class today. He overheard me too and he loved it. I think I'm his favorite now."
"That. Is. AMAZING! I would've paid any amount of money to see that!" DJ exclaimed. "Who else have you noticed?"
"Well, I'm pretty sure the Potions teacher is a male Cruella De Vil and the Magic History teacher is a male Lady Tremaine. He's even got the cat and everything," Devon told them. "Deuce and I met a guy named Sam who runs the student store on campus today and he gave me serious Dr. Facilier vibes."
"Man, the more I hear about this place, the more I wanna head there to check it out myself," DJ said.
"Hey, if you figure out a way to travel between worlds, let me know," Devon replied. She glanced down at her still-glowing bracelet. "Actually…there's something else I wanted to talk to you guys about." She held up her wrist to show them the bracelet and her brothers did the same. "I think it's safe to say these bracelets Mala gave us are how we're able to talk right now. DJ, Dom, what exactly happened before you guys came into my room?"
"It was so weird," Dominic said. "We'd been fine the entire day but then we get home from school and get these splitting pains in our heads at pretty much the exact same time."
"Next thing we know, our bracelets started glowing and then it was like they were pulling us toward your room," DJ finished. "We were hesitant about going in but then we heard your voice and the rest is history."
"I see," Devon said. "It was almost exactly the same for me. The pains in my head, the tugging feeling… But the thing is, I'm positive I heard Mala's voice too."
"Are you sure?" Dominic asked.
Devon nodded. "I could hear her saying something but I could make it out. She wasn't in the dorm physically or Regina would have told me but I know I heard her voice. She was repeating whatever it was she was saying but, in the end, I could only hear the last bit clearly before her voice disappeared." She shook her head. "Something about a bond and overcoming obstacles. I'm not sure how all this is connected, though."
"Ya know, your mom mentioned Mala to me before," Valentina spoke up. "She said she's never really liked talking about herself. Has she ever told you guys were she's from?"
"Nope," DJ replied. "Papa said she'd always deflect the question whenever he and Mama would ask. Eventually they stopped asking since they didn't want to push too far. The only things they managed to piece together from what little she did say was that she's not from around here and she's a noble of some sort. We never really thought much of it. There are plenty of people out there that value their privacy. But now…"
"Now I'm starting to think that she might be able to tell us what's going on," Devon finished. "She might know how to get me home too. It might be worth mentioning something to Mama and Papa about it at that family meeting and see if they can reach out to her." She paused as Regina spoke to her. "Okay, Regina says Grim's coming back with the boys so let's stow this conversation topic for now." She lowered her voice to a whisper. "And remember, no mentioning anything about Disney."
The family nodded as someone rapped gently on the bedroom door. "Hey, Dev. It's us," Deuce called softly, probably thinking Devon was resting in bed. "Is it okay if we come in?"
Devon smiled. "It's cool. Come on in, guys."
The door was thrown open as Grim scampered back in, taking back his original spot on Devon's shoulder. Ace and Deuce followed him in, Ace blinking in confusion when his eyes landed on Devon. "What're you doing in your robes, New York?"
"Nevermind that, are you feeling…" Deuce trailed off when he saw the faces in the mirror. He nudged Ace and nodded towards it. "Looks like Grim was right, huh?"
Grim stuck his tongue out at them. "I told ya so! The Great Grim is never wrong!"
"Except for all the times when you totally are," Devon remarked dryly as her friends took up spots on either side of her. "Fam, meet Ace and Deuce. Ace and Deuce, meet some of the fam: my brothers, cousin, and cousin-to-be."
Once official introductions were out of the way, both groups immediately started in with questions.
"How exactly did this happen?" Deuce asked.
"We don't know exactly," Dominic replied. "We think a friend of the family might have some answers but we can't be sure right now."
"So you guys are really from another world?" Ace asked.
"I feel like we should be asking you that, but yes," Monique answered. "Dev's told us about some of the places listed on the Twisted Wonderland maps and none of 'em exist here." She pulled out her phone and scrolled until she found what she was looking for. "Does this look familiar to you at all?" She held up her phone to the mirror so Ace and Deuce could see. The boys stared at the picture in confusion before shaking their heads. "That's the Mona Lisa," Monique explained. "It's one of the most, if not the most, famous paintings in our world. Everybody y'all's age has seen it at some point by now. You both looked genuinely confused when you saw it, so you definitely ain't from this world."
"Just like with Devon and the Great Seven," Ace commented. "She had no idea who they were, either. Or Night Raven College, for that matter." He nudged Devon in the side. "Not that I was doubting you at this point, but I guess this really does hammer it home, huh?"
"Heh. I guess so," Devon agreed. "That reminds me…" She turned her gaze back to her brothers. "School's started by in our world by now, right?"
"Yep. Today was the first actually," Dominic supplied.
"Well, I guess that answers my 'does one day here equal one year there' question," Devon said. "Has anybody asked where I am?"
"Oh yeah," DJ replied. "We've been telling them you're sick since we couldn't come up with anything better, but that won't work for very long. Any thoughts on what we should tell them now?"
Devon tapped her chin in thought. "That's a good question. I have no idea when or how I'm going to get back, so I don't know how long I'm going to be here."
"Why don't you just tell them the truth?" Ace suggested.
Everyone stared at him incredulously. "Did you forget the part about magic not being a thing here, my dude?" Dominic asked.
"Also, lying is way more fun!" DJ chirped.
"No, no, I mean tell 'em she's going to a different school now, just leave out the stuff about magic," Ace elaborated. "Think about it: you can say it's part of some exchange program."
"That's not a bad idea," Valentina agreed. "I think we could even get away with using the school's real name too. Night Raven College doesn't exist in our world so even if people try to search for it online, they won't find anything."
"And since the Dark Mirror is the one that chooses who's permitted to enroll, you could just tell them that I received the invitation suddenly and didn't have time to let anyone outside the family know," Devon added. "That's pretty much how it happened anyway. And you told everyone I was sick because…" She trailed off, trying to think of a good excuse.
"Because you needed some time to think and didn't want anybody trying to influence you one way or the other. Whether you went or not had to be your decision," Monique finished for her.
"Yes!" DJ cheered, clapping his hands together. "I like this! Lying is fun!"
"We aren't lying. We're just…not telling anyone outside the family anything they don't need to know," Dominic argued. "Besides, they'd never believe us if we told them about the magic stuff."
"What about the picture you took of me?" Devon asked.
"I don't plan on showing that to anybody besides our family," Dominic assured her. "It's mostly just a way to prove to Mama and Papa that you're still alive."
Devon winced. "How have they been taking…all this?"
"About as well as can be expected," Valentina said bluntly. "When one of your kids disappears without a trace, it's not really something you just brush off. Not if you care about your children, at any rate." She gave Devon a reassuring smile. "They'll be just as relieved as we are once Dom shows them that picture, sweetie."
"Honestly, I'd be more worried about Madison if I were you," Dominic said. "She was out for blood when she figured out you weren't at school today. Tried to shake me down for information in the cafeteria and got real upset when I wouldn't tell her anything." He chuckled. "Even blew up at that one girl that follows her around like a little lost child."
"Marcy?" Devon asked.
"I think I remember you telling me about her," Valentina recalled. "Her last name's Fox, right? Didn't she go through a phase, like, a year ago where she wanted everyone to call her 'Foxy'?"
"Ugh, please don't remind me," Devon groaned.
"That's…That's some top-tier cringe, is what that is," Ace commented with a grimace.
"Agreed. But my point is, she's gonna be gunnin' for you whenever you do get back," Dominic finished.
"I mean, she can get as mad as she wants but it's not gonna bring Dev back any quicker," DJ pointed out.
"Maybe getting yourself tossed over to another world isn't so bad if it means you're finally away from her," Valentina offered. Devon gave her a dry look in response. "Don't look at me like that, Dev. I've told you before that I don't like the way she treats you." She looked over at Ace and Deuce, her brow quirking when she finally took a good look at the collar around Ace's neck. "Questionable fashion choices aside, these two seem at least seem like marginally decent guys."
"I'm not wearin' this thing for my health, ya know!" Ace replied with a pout.
Valentina sent Devon a worried look. "That's not part of your school uniform, is it? Please don't tell me you have to wear something like that too, Dev."
Devon snorted out a laugh while Grim cackled on her shoulder. "Don't worry, it's not part of the uniform. Good to know you've got your priorities straight though, Val. Nah, Ace just got into a bit of a disagreement with his dorm leader." She and her friends went on to explain the events leading up to Ace and Deuce staying at Ramshackle. Before the family could start debating whether they thought Riddle putting Ace in magical time-out was the right call, the portal connecting the two worlds grew fuzzy, much like static appearing on a television screen. The triplets looked down at their bracelets almost simultaneously, only to see that the gemstones were beginning to flicker. Devon could feel the tears welling up in her eyes again. "Looks like our time's almost up, guys."
Dominic shook his head frantically and Devon could see tears forming in his eyes as well. "No! No, it can't!" He began tapping the gemstone on his bracelet, hoping it would stop the flickering. "This isn't enough time! We don't even know how this happened; how are we supposed to talk to you again?!"
"I don't think we have a choice, Dom," Devon pointed out, her voice starting to shake as she held back a sob. The static was growing worse with each passing second and their bracelets glow was fading. "I'm glad I got to see you all again, though."
"Us too, girl," Monique said as her eyes began to grow misty.
"Just hang in there, okay?" Valentina choked out, not even bothering to hide the tears streaming down her face. "We're going to get you back home, no matter what it takes."
"Will you guys pass my love on to Mama and Papa?" Devon asked, her own tears falling now.
"You know we will," DJ replied, fighting to keep his own voice steady. He offered his sister a shaky smile. "It's such a relief to know you're okay." He pressed one of his hands against the mirror and Dominic did the same. "We all love you so much, sis. More than you could ever know."
Devon placed her hands over each of her brothers', sending them a watery smile of her own. "I love you guys too. Always." The glow had almost completely faded by now and static was rapidly overtaking the mirror. "I'll talk to you again soon, okay? I'll find a way."
Her family nodded, all of them in tears now, as the static covered the mirror completely and the glow from the bracelets finally ebbed away. When the static cleared, all Devon could see was the reflections of herself and her friends.
"Dev…?" Deuce called out worriedly as Devon wordlessly pulled her hands back from the mirror and sat down on her bed.
Grim hopped down from Devon's shoulder and into her lap. "Henchman?" he asked, gently tapping at her with his paw, only to jump when the sob she'd been holding back finally erupted from her throat.
Ace and Deuce looked at each other uncertainly as Devon broke down into tears, unsure of what to say or do. Ace took the initiative, sitting down next to her and letting her hide her face in his shoulder as she cried. He reached up and began rubbing her back hesitantly for a moment before clearing his throat. "So…are these sad tears or happy tears?"
Devon sniffled, her voice muffled as she spoke. "Both, I guess." She sat up straight and wiped her eyes. "I'm sad that I wasn't able to talk to them longer, but I know I could've talked to them for hours and it still wouldn't be long enough." She smiled weakly before laying her head on Ace's shoulder again. "I'm glad I got to let them know I'm okay, at least."
"And it sounds like you have a solid lead for getting back home now, too," Deuce added, sitting on Devon's other side. "What's the deal with that bracelet anyway? Did you know it could do that?"
Devon shook her head as she began to play with Grim's ears absentmindedly. "I had no clue. My brothers and I have been wearing them every day for over ten years now and…," She gestured to the mirror. "that has never happened before." She let out a breath. "A friend of the family gave them to us as a birthday gift when we were little, so hopefully she's got some answers."
Deuce smiled at her. "I'm sure your family will figure things out. I got the feeling your brothers would move mountains if it meant getting you home. It was plain as day how much all of you care for each other."
"Your cousin seemed kind of intense, though," Ace added as he started playing with Devon's curls.
"Valentina? Yeah, she's not really the type to hold back about what she thinks," Devon agreed as she leaned even more of her weight onto Ace, enjoying his fingers in her hair. "She's actually really sweet once you get past all the bluntness, though, and protective as heck too."
"Well, I know I made quite the impression on them," Grim chimed in. "I could tell they were all dazzled by how amazing I am!"
"You certainly do have a talent for making an impression wherever you go, bud," Devon commented.
After Devon had taken some time to calm down, the group carried on with the rest of their evening. Ace and Grim were back on cleanup under Regina's supervision, much to their chagrin, while Devon and Deuce gathered up some spare blankets so everyone could sleep in the lounge. Once they'd found enough and Ace and Grim finished their tasks, everyone set about getting ready for bed.
"Anyone up for a game of cards before we hit the hay?" Ace asked as he came back downstairs from Devon's bedroom holding a pack of playing cards.
"Do you just carry those around with you?" Devon asked. "What, you think you're gonna need to challenge someone to an impromptu game of Go Fish?"
"This coming from the girl who keeps snacks, painkillers, and…I dunno, probably a plasma cutter in her bag 24/7," Ace snarked.
Devon shrugged. "You right, you right." She looked at the deck of cards. "So what are we playing?"
Ace smiled as he offered Devon the pack of cards. "Ladies choice."
Devon thought for a moment. "You guys ever played Texas Hold 'em?"
Ace, Deuce, and Grim looked at each other and shrugged. "I…don't think so," Deuce replied. "Also, what's a…Tex-Ass?"
Devon laughed. "It's a place from back home. Guess I shoulda thought of that before I asked." She looked at Ace. "You guys have poker here though, right?"
Ace nodded. "Sure do. I've only played once or twice with my bro, though."
"Texas Hold 'em is kinda like a…variant of poker, I guess," Devon explained. "I can teach you guys the rules though, so don't worry there." She began shuffling the cards with a flourish, the cards arcing elegantly from one hand to the other in a horse-shoe shape.
"Where'd you learn to shuffle like that, New York?" Ace asked, amazed. "I thought people only did that in movies."
"My Tio taught us how to do this when we were younger," Devon replied. "It took me and DJ a while to get it right but now all three of can pull off tons of tricks like this."
"Dominic didn't struggle with it?" Deuce asked.
Devon shook her head. "He's been playin' video games pretty much his whole life; he's got the best hand-eye coordination of the three of us."
"I feel like your uncle is that one relative in every family that either "knows a guy" or is the guy for pretty much any situation," Ace commented. "He taught you how to punch, he helped teach you how to cook, and he taught you these shuffle tricks; something tells me if you ever got arrested, he'd either have a friend on the force who could fix things and get you out or he'd know a guy that could bust you out."
The four continued to play card games until late into the evening, sharing various family stories or (semi)affectionately poking fun at each other. They were just about to call it quits and settle into the mound of blankets and pillows they'd made on the lounge floor when a soft rustling sound caught their attention. They turned towards the sound to see plants sprouting out of nowhere, growing along the walls and wrapping around the railing of the stairs with some even popping out of a few unused wall sconces. The plants all had bright green stalks and the lilac-colored flowers at the tops of each filled the room with a calming scent. Grim was out like a light in less than a minute, sprawled out on one of the pillows and snoring away.
"What are these?" Deuce asked as he reached out to touch one of the flowers.
"I think these are lavender," Ace replied, inhaling deeply through his nose. "Yep, definitely lavender. No mistaking that scent." He looked around the room. "Where'd they come from, though? None of us can cast plant magic on this scale."
Devon smiled. "These are probably from Aloe." The boys looked at her in confusion. "Aloe's one of the Wisps. A Plant Wisp, to be precise. They'd have no trouble making all these plants appear."
"But I don't see any other Wisps in here besides Zephyr," Deuce pointed out.
"Aloe's really shy, even compared to some of the other Wisps, so they don't come out very much," Devon explained. "You can't miss them if they do decide to show themself, though; they're the most adorable shade of pink I've ever seen." She yawned. "I think they're trying to tell us that we should be following Grim's example and getting to bed, though."
"They're probably right," Deuce agreed. "Tomorrow's the Unbirthday Party. We'd better get a good night's rest if we're gonna contend with the dorm leader."
Everyone set about finding a comfortable spot to settle down for the night. Deuce was asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow. Devon was in the process of cocooning herself into a small nest of pillows and blankets when she felt something nudge against her side.
"You got room for one more in there?" Ace asked.
Devon quirked a brow, an amused smirk on her face. "You got the entire room to spread out in and you still wanna sleep right up next to me?"
Ace looked askance, refusing to meet her eyes, but Devon could see his cheeks starting to turn pink. "I mean… It's just… It's always so cold in this place, y'know. More body heat wouldn't hurt."
That was a lie if Devon had ever heard one; Fuego taken up a spot in the empty fireplace and their control over fire and heat made the lounge perfectly comfortable. The coziness of the room and the calming scent from the lavender Aloe had grown for them left Devon too tired to tease her friend any further, though. She held up her blanket and motioned for Ace to join her. "Fine. But only because you're so precious when you're being shy."
"'m not bein' shy," Ace huffed, still refusing to look directly at her even as he snuggled up against her. "Are you…y'know…doin' okay? After everything that happened?"
Devon waited until she'd spread the blankets over the two of them and settled back against her pillow to answer him. "I'm feeling a lot of things right now, but most of them are positive." She yawned again and nuzzled into his chest, being careful not to bump against the collar. "And now that my family knows I'm okay, I can focus on helping get you through this Riddle situation."
"About that…," Ace began, carding his fingers through Devon's curls again. "I…I really appreciate you helping me out as much as you have. Between helping with the tart, letting me crash here, and making dinner for us tonight…"
Devon let out a mock gasp, leaning back just a bit to look at him. "My dear Ace Trappola, is that sincerity I hear in your voice~?"
Ace sent her a glare but there was no bite to it. "Quiet, you." He pressed her face back into his chest before playing with her hair again. "See if I ever thank you for anything again."
Devon giggled, the sound muffled. "Fine, fine, I'm sorry for teasing you." She hummed happily when she felt his hands in her hair again. "For real, though, it's no problem." She yawned again, closing her eyes as Regina dimmed the lights. "You can be pretty sweet when you wanna be, huh?"
"Just hush and go to sleep," Ace replied dismissively, grateful Devon couldn't see his rapidly darkening cheeks.
"Well guys, this is…a lot to take in," Angelo said. The family meeting had just concluded and to say everyone's reaction was…mixed when they'd heard what had actually happened to Devon would be a massive understatement. First and foremost, they were relieved to have confirmation that she was still alive and uninjured but most of them had a difficult time wrapping their heads around Devon being pulled into another world altogether. The pictures that DJ and Dominic had taken left no room for doubt, though, and Elena swore to a letter out to Mala first thing the next morning; their friend didn't own a phone, so the only way they could communicate with her was via letter.
"Trust us, we get it," Valentina replied. "I don't think any of us would've believed it either if we hadn't seen it ourselves."
"And you're certain she was okay?" Elena asked.
DJ smiled gently. "Dev's fine, Mama. She's staying optimistic and making the best of her situation, like you always tell us."
"That girl's a fighter, sis. You know that," Diego added, putting a hand on Elena's shoulder. "She's every bit the headstrong, stubborn teenager you ever were."
Elena rolled her eyes playfully. "It still amazes me how you can make something sound like a compliment and an insult at the same time."
"I like to call it a 'compli-sult'," Diego supplied. "No need to thank me; it's what I do."
"Speaking of stubborn," Valentina began. "I'd like to apologize on behalf of my own mother, Tia Elena. Seems she couldn't be bothered to make an appearance." She heaved a sigh. "I don't know why I'm surprised; she hasn't responded to my text telling her that Devon was missing."
"Don't worry about that, Val," Elena said, smiling at her niece reassuringly. "Camilla and I…well, you know we don't exactly see eye-to-eye."
"I get that but you're her sister!" Valentina exclaimed. "Even if there's tension between you two, the least she could've done was sent a text. She could've at least pretended she was worried that her own niece had gone missing!"
"She's got a point," Dominic agreed. "I mean, even Abuela made a video call so she could be here."
"I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you, kiddos," Diego scoffed. "Stubbornness runs through our side of the family and Camilla can hold a grudge better than anyone I've ever met." He sent Valentina an apologetic look. "I don't mean to badmouth your mom, sweetie, but…"
Valentina shook her head. "No, no, I get it. Besides, everything you said was true."
As the group continued talking, Mateo made his way over and gently pulled on DJ's arm, ushering him a little further away from everyone. "Level with me, man. How are you really feeling about all this?"
DJ sent his cousin a confused look. "Like I said before, I'm just happy sis is okay."
Mateo wasn't convinced. He and DJ had always been close; he'd even go so far as to call DJ his best friend. They confided in each other, meaning Mateo, much like Dominic and Devon, was aware of DJ's tendency to mask what he was really feeling. DJ might have been able to convince everyone else that he was fine but Mateo knew there was more to it. "And that's all you're feeling?"
DJ shrugged. "'Course! It's all good, dude! Devon's fine so DJ's fine." He laughed, but it came across as more nervous than humorous. "I'm totally not freaked out."
Mateo was torn between the urge to call DJ out on that suspiciously specific denial or letting it slide. He knew from experience that the harder he pushed DJ to talk, the more closed-off he was going to get. Whenever that happened, it would be up to his siblings to wear him down until he finally spilled what was really going on. Unfortunately, Devon was stuck in another world and Dominic wasn't the type to start a confrontation on his own. He supposed he could go to Valentina…but she seemed to enjoy conflict a little too much, so she'd have to be the absolute last resort. With no better option, he decided to let it ride…for now. "If you're sure," he said, exchanging a fistbump with DJ. "But if you need to talk-"
"I know, I know. I promise you'll be the first to know," DJ swore before saluting his cousin and heading back over to the rest of the family.
Mateo stared after him worriedly, hoping that DJ would keep his word.
Ending Notes: Just so you know, this will not be the last time Regina threatens someone with a knife.
Well, that was a rollercoaster of a chapter! I really didn't mean to go ham with the family reunion bit but these guys had a lot to talk about. I'm really excited to explore more of these family dynamics too!
Fun fact: During that bit where Valentina tries to smash the mirror to get Devon out, I'd initially planned for Ace and Deuce to hear all the shouting and charge in with pots and pans because they're convinced Devon and Grim are being murdered. The only reason I changed it was because I needed Devon to have the 'we don't talk about Disney' talk with her family without her friends overhearing.
I don't think I've mentioned the texture of Devon's hair prior to this chapter (mostly because it took me a while to decide on it myself), so I figured it'd be a good time to address it. I had conceptualized her with curly hair initially but then realized that nobody in the game (that we've seen, at least) has curly hair. At that point, I started waffling back and forth between keeping her design more consistent with what we've seen in the game so far and saying "Bunk that!" since Devon isn't from Twisted Wonderland anyway. I settled on the latter as well as a personal headcanon that curly hair probably does exist in Twisted Wonderland, but it isn't especially common.
Thank you all so much for reading! I really hope this chapter was worth the wait for you guys! As always, feedback and constructive criticism are more than welcome. Geekinthepink, out!